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"Sheets Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. GUNNARSON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

PatentedApr-26, 1892.

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(No Model.) Z-Sheets-Sheet 2.- W. GUNNARSON. FIRE ESCAPE Patented Apr. 26, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICEe VVAHLTZER GUN NARSON, OF JAMESTOVN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO PETER SANDBERG AND PETER DROTS, OF SAME PLACE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 473,572, dated April 26, 1892.. Application filed November 17, 1891. Serial No. 412,190. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, WAHLTZER GUNNAR- sON,a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestowmin the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to fire-escapes; and it has for its object to provide a tire-escape that is to be used upon the walls of buildings, and one 'which can be easily controlled and manipulated by the person carried by the same, and one in which at any point in its travel to and from the ground may be stopped or slowed up at will, according to the Weight of a person within the car, and to this end to provide a re-escape having an overbalanced car, which will be automatically started upon its descent by the person stepping within the same, and also to provide one which after the carhas descended to the ground will immediately travel back to the point desired.

lVith these and many other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in a {ire-escape having an automaticallycont-rolled car constructed in the novel manner hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a lire-escape constructed in accordance with my invention and detached from the building. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 isa rear elevation of the car. Fig. Liis a top plan View of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the upper brake bar and shoe. Fig. 6 is a detail in perspective of the lower brake-shoe. Fig. '7 is a detail in perspective of the supplemental platform.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A representsa rectangular tubular track that is designed to be secured upon the side of a building by means of hooks or other suitable securing devices, whereby the same may be securely fastened thereon, and the said track is provided with a serrated or toothed face a and has its upper end inclosed by the cap a', within which is journaled the supportingpulley a2, over which travels the cable or rope B, workin g Within said tubular or hollow track and carrying at its end within said track a weight b of sufiicient weight to overloalance the traveling car O, secured to the other end of the rope without the track, sufficiently so that the weight of a person will not cause the car to be brought to the ground dangerously fast.

The fire-escape car O,carried bythe Weighted cable orrope B, is constructed of an open metallic frame-Work comprising opposite vertical rectangular frames c, connected by the front parallel cross-braces c and the diagonal and parallel bottom braces c2, to which is securely bolted the main platform c3, upon which the person carried thereby is supported. Transversely bolted to the rear vertical bars of said side rectangular frame c is the upper handbrake bar D. Said bar is provided With a rectangular rear recess or opening d3, that is approximately of the same size as the rectangular track, and is adapted to take over the same as the car travels up and down said track, and the outer ends of the sides of said rectangular recess or opening and the bar D are overlapped by the retaining plates CZ, forming lips or projections d', that take behind the` rear side of the tubular track, and thus hold the bar and the car to which it is attached securely to the track in its travel thereover. The upper bar D is located at a suitable distance from the bottom of the car in order that the same may be readily reached by the hands of the person Within the same, and to either side of the rear rectangular recess therein the same terminates in handgrasps cl2, over which work the operating portions of the brake-levers E, pivoted within said bar at e, and extending inwardly toward the rear rectangular recess in the same, and said levers without the bar are curved to correspond with the hand-grasps of the bar, so that the levers may be readily grasped by the ngers of both hands to operate the same.

Journaled in the end of each lever within the bar is the serrated or toothed brake-roller F, located Within the recess f in rear of the recess d, and 4said roller, as controlled bythe levers, is adapted to be thrown forward within the rear recess of said bar and against the serrated or toothed face of the track over which the car travels to impede the mot-ion of IOO the same or entirely stop the car when used in conjunction with the other brake mechanism to be presently described. y

rlhe rear. edge ofthe main platform c3 is provided with a central rectangular recess G, corresponding tothat in the upper bar D, and is adapted to receive the rectangular tubular track, over which the rear side of the car travels, and said recess is surrounded by the side flanges g and the outer overlapping flanges projecting over the edges of said side iianges g, and forming projecting lips g', that Atake behind the rear side of said track or within grooves adapted for their reception, and thus with the upper brake-bar the said car is steadily and firmly held over the vertical tubular track, and is thus allowed to freely travel up and down the same. Upon said main platform, directly in rear of the rectangular recess therein, is secured a cover H, provided near each inner end with the openings or perforations h and accommodates and incloses the lower friction foot-brake I. The foot-brake I comprises a serrated-rubber friction-roller z', similar to that in the hand-brake located directly below the same and j ou rnaled in the outer ends of the sliding bars 2', provided with rearwardly extending and upwardly-curved rounded ends 712, that normally project through the openings h in the top of the inclosing cover H "and extend slightly above the same, being designed to be pressed downward and lforce the roller out and tightly against the serrated or toothed face of the track by devices located thereover. Suitably bolted to the top of said cover is the L.shaped stop-bracket J, and to the vertical arm j of the same is pivoted the stop-dogj, pivoted to the extreme end of said arm at y2 and normally pressed out into engagement' with the cogs or sei-rations of said track by'means of the outwardly-pressing leaf-spring g3, also secured to said armsy of the L-shaped bracket. A supplemental pivoted platform K is designed to be located directly above said cover H, and is provide-.d with the depending flanges k, partly inclosing the same. To the under side of said supplemental platform K is securely fastened the bottom ends or portions of the arms L, extending rearwardly from the rear edge of said supplemental platform and outwardly at an incline therefrom, said arms being transversely connected by the operating pin or bolt Z passing therethrough and through said downwardly-extending stop dog or pawl j. A supporting-bar M is loosely journaled in each of said rearwardly and upwardly extending bars L, and is rigidly secured at m to the vertical arm j of said L- shaped bracket J, and it can be readily seen that the tension of the spring 73 will hold the dog normally into engagement with the teeth of said track, and thereby hold the supplemental platform parallel with the main platform of the car, as will be apparent.

When a person steps into the car to descend to the ground, the same will not begin its downward descent until said person has stepped upon the hinged supplemental platform K, which will simultaneously cause the pawlj to be withdrawn from engagement with the track and will bear upon the upwardlyprojecting ends o? of the foot-brake I, and thus cause the friction-roller c' to bear against the serrated face of the track, and, according to the weight of the person, the pressure of said roller-brake upon the track will be proportionate thereto to impede the travel of the oar according to the weight therein. Being thus always impeded to a certain extent in its downward travel, by simply throwing the upper hand-brake against the track the motion vof the car may be entirely stopped at the will of the operator.

When the car is at its upper-limit, in order to draw the same downward to the point. desired, a chain N is provided for that purpose and, extending from the ground, Vpasses through the bottom of the car and is connected with the hinged platform, whereby the dog may be thrown out of engagement and the car drawn downward. Spring-buffers O are secured to the bottom of the car, and thus avoids shock to the person within the same when the car reaches the bottom in case the same should come down faster than intended, and the said tubular track is also provided with a spring-cushion P, located in the bottom thereof, for the weight b to come in contact with when the car is run up in order to avoid damage to the track or pulley inclosed in the upper end of the same. The hoistingrope B is connected with said car by means of a suitable bracket Q, secured to the upper side of the upper lever-bar D, and thus provides a convenient connection between the car vand the overbalanced rope controlling the movements of the same.

The construction and operation of the herein-described fire-escape is thought to be otherwise apparent without further description. It is of course understood that an inclosing wire-netting R may surround the car to give further safety to the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a fire-eseape,atubular track adapted to be secured to the side of a building, a car adapted to travel over said track and provided with squared rectangular recesses taking over said track, friction-roller brakes located in said recess and adapted to be manually and automatically thrown against the outer face of said track, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and working within said tubular track, substantially as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, a vertical tubular track adapted to be secured to the side of a building, a car adapted to travel over said track, the same comprising an open metallic framework and provided with recesses embracing said track and friction-brakes located directly IOO IIS

in rear of said recesses and adapted to be thrown against the outer face of said track, and au overbalanced cable connected to said car and working within said tubular track, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fire-escape, a vertical tubular track provided with an outer serrated or toothed face, a car adapted to travel over said track, the same comprising an open metallic framework and provided with recesses embracing said track and with serrated or toothed friction-roller brakes located directly in rear of said embracing recesses and adapted to be thrown manually and automatically against the outer face of said track, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and working within said tubular track, substantially as set forth.

4. In a tire-escape, a vertical tubulaitrack, a car traveling upon said track, the same comprising an open metallic frame-work and provided with an upper brake-bar having a recess embracing said track, lex ers pivoted within said bar and a friction brake-roller journaled in the inner ends of said levers in rear of said recess and adapted to be operated by the hands, a bottom platform having a recess embracing said track and an automaticallyoperated friction-brake located in rear of said platform-recess, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and working within said tubular track, substantially as set forth.

5. In a tire-escape` a rectangular tubular track provided with an outer serrated or toothed face, a car traveling over said track and provided with an upper brake-bar secured in the rear of the same and provided with a squared recess embracing said track, hand-levers pivoted within said bar and extending without and within the same, and a serrated brake-roller journaled iu the inner ends of said levers in rear of said recess, a bottom platform having a rectangular recess directly in line with the recess of the upper brake-bar and a serrated roller-brake located in rear of said platform-recess and adapted to be automatically operated by the Weight of the person within the car, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and working within said tubular track, substantially as set forth.

6. In a ireescape,a vertical tubular track, a car traveling upon said track and provided with a main platform having a recess embracing said track,an upper hand-operated brake secured to said car, a cover secured to said platform and provided with top perforations, brake-arms having rearwardly and upwardly curved rounded ends projecting through said top perforatious and carrying at their outer ends within said cover a friction-brake directly in rear of said recess, a supplemental platform hinged over said cover and adapted to bear upon the projecting ends of said brakearms when stepped upon and throw the brake upon the track, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and workin g within said tubular track, substantially as set forth.

7. In a fire-escape, a vertical tubular track, a car traveling upon said track and provided with a main platform having a recess embracing said track, an upper hand-operated brake secured to said car, a cover secured to said platform and provided with top perforations, brake-arms having rearwardly and upwardly curved ends projecting through said top perforations and carrying at their outer ends within said cover a friction-brake directly in rear of said recess, a spring-actuated stop-pawl mounted over said cover and normally engaging said track, a supplemental hinged platform connected to said pawl and normally located over the projecting ends of said brake-bars, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and working within said track, substantially as set forth.

8. In a fire-escape, a vertical tubular track, a car traveling upon said track and provided with a main platform having a recess embracing said track, a cover secured to said platform and provided with top perforations, brake-arms having rearwardly and upwardly curved ends projecting through said top perforations and carrying at their outer ends within said cover a friction-brake directly in rear ot' said recess, a bracket supported upon said cover, a spring-actuated stop-pawl pivoted to said bracket and normally engaging said track, a supplemental platform having rearwardly and upwardly inclined arms intermediately hinged to said bracket and connected at their outer ends with said stop-pawl, said platform normally lying over the projecting ends of said brake-bars, and an overbalanced cable connected to said car and working Within said track, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing las my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VVAI-ILTZER GUNNARS'ON.

Witnesses:

J AMES A. FowLER, J AMES L. WEEKS.

IOO 

